Post-Listing Update: This Yammie MX bike got no interest at the BIN of $15,000. Rocket Exhaust builds parts to help privateers compete with with the big boys in Motocross and Supercross. Don Leib is the president of Rocket, and he built this bike for his son to compete with – until the son was signed to a pro team. Now …
Audio Intermission – The Cycle Industry in 1921
Here’s a cool trip back in time: an audio recording of “The Cycle Industry: Its origin, history, and latest developments” by Walter Ferdinando Grew, originally published in 1921!
Portuguese Scooter – 1973 Casal Carina S170
Here’s something I’ve never encountered before: the Portuguese company of Veiculos Casal. They made mopeds, small motorcycles, and scooters – here’s one of the last, a Carina S170.
1953 Göricke Gö 100 S
Based out of Bielefeld, Germany, Göricke was founded as a bicycle manufacturer in 1874. They started producing motorcycles in 1903 and were acquired by Panther in 1964. Between those years they produced a variety of motorcycles, including this Gö 100 S, which is powered by a Sachs motor.
1984 KTM 495 MX
Available as the MX or MXC (motocross or cross-country off-roader), the KTM 495 was an absurdly fast Open class dirt bike – Rod Bush apparently took a re-geared example up to 123.75 miles per hour on El Mirage Dry Lake with an ’81.
Bike-urious does the Baja 1000 – Part 7
It wasn’t a race, but we finally got to tackle our first long ride – Los Angeles to Barstow to Vegas.
Imported Benly – 1956 Honda JC56 125cc
The 250cc Honda Benly was one of the three initial U.S. offerings by Honda and helped establish the company’s toehold in this country. But back home smaller displacement tiddlers were the manufacturer’s bread-and-butter, meaning basic, reliable, utilitarian transport. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t be without style, and the Benly line were among the best-looking.
Video Intermission – Allen Millyard’s V-Twin Hondas
Allen Millyard has built all kinds of cool things in the past, like a motorcycle powered by the V-10 engine from a Dodge Viper, a V-12 made up of two Kawasaki KZ1300 powerplants, or the Flying Millyard, a bike with a 5,000cc V-Twin using two cylinders from a Pratt and Whitney 1340 radial engine. But my favorite contraption out of …
Needs Some Work – 1968 Yamaha YA6
The YA6 was the first Yamaha to feature “Autolube” oil injection, which led to a Safety & Engineering award from Auto & Motor Sport magazine. The Autolube concept was incredibly successful and was a mainstay of Yamaha’s line for years. The YA6? Not so much, it’s a rare find nowadays.
Video Intermission – Enjoying The Snow
Feel bad because there’s a ton of snow outside and you can’t enjoy your bike? Well, you can either move out to Los Angeles with me (where the weather is currently 81 degrees, no big deal) or you can bundle up like Chris McMahan and say, ‘screw it.’
Homologation Special – 1992 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-7R K2
Post-Listing Update: This Ninja was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. The “K” model of the ZX-7R, built between 91-92, was a homologation special built in limited numbers (500 examples) so Kawi could go racing in AMA Superbike. 142 examples were exported to the US, with an asking price that was nearly twice what Kawasaki charged for the …
Moto Giro Racer – 1966 Ducati Monza 250
Starting with a square-fendered Monza 250 he acquired in 2007, this seller converted a stock bike into a Moto Giro competitor. While I don’t enjoy the overall aesthetic package, it looks like the seller did a good job upgrading the mechanics of this bike for competition.
1975 Honda CB750 Cafe Racer
Right now, Sildorome is asking what the best UJM is. A whole bunch of the answers are the CB750, which isn’t surprising considering what a sales success it was. Because there are plenty of examples to work with, many builders turn to the big CB when they want to build a custom. Here’s an example that I generally dig, except …
Final Edition – 1998 Ducati Supersport 900FE
To mark the end of its badass Supersport line, Ducati released a one-year run of 800 bikes around the world. They called it the Final Edition, painted it silver, and threw on a couple of goodies like 41mm FCR carbs and Ohlins rear shock. 300 of the 800 examples made it over the US – here’s number 15.
Do You Believe? 1948 Norton ES2
If you believe the seller, this Norton has competed in the Isle of Man TT and was ‘clocked’ doing 110 miles per hour on a downhill during the race. More recently, it placed 2nd in the Classic category at the Garage Brewed Moto Show in Cincinnati.